Sara’s Client Reviews

Meatball

“Sara, I am so excited to tell you!! I just got back from the vet with Meatball so they could look at the areas where the warts were removed (we have nothing to worry about!) and check out his ear. He approached the vet friendly, but he was still cage muzzled. Once we got in the room, I could see him getting anxious and tensing up, I pulled his mat out and I saw an instant “oh thank god’, he was on it before it was even fully on the floor! He laid on it, and allowed the vet to HOLD his paw, examine him, look in his ears, and pet him with NO issues!!! No growling, whining, nothing. Thank you so so so much for that. :D” – Dani B. and her American Pit Bull Terrier Meatball, Sara on their behavior progress after a private lesson and Beginning Obedience class

“Made me feel like there was a light at the end of the tunnel!” – Brittany F. and her three dogs reviewing their private training session with Sara

“The most helpful, humane and research-based instruction I’ve ever found. I tell everyone I know about you. Simple, effective steps and lots of time to practice in class. As usual Sara taught information to the people in between practice sessions. So very useful.” -Claire S. and her Golden Retriever William reviewing their Leash Pullers Anonymous class with Sara

“Jackson and I enjoyed the reactive nose work class very much! We’ve been working on finding treats in both the house and in the backyard. I’ve been making it slightly more challenging as we continue. He does great and I’m pretty sure it’s one of his new favorite activities :).” – Skye B. and her Golden Retriever Jackson reviewing their Reactive Dog Nose Work class with Sara

“Provided a lot of reassurance and positive reinforcement for the humans which allowed me to gain significant confidence in myself which translates into confidence in my dog. Thanks very much.” Wendy M. and her American Staffordshire Terrier Sebastian reviewing their Beginning Reactive Dog Rehab class with Sara

Patti and Loki

“Loki loved the class! Sara, you are a combination of all of the best teaching practices in the professional dog journals. It is really great to have such a great instructor!” – Patti A. and her Siberian Husky Loki reviewing their Beginning Obedience class with Sara

“The small class size meant that there was a lot of personal attention to both dog and handler. Both Laura and Sara knew us and our dog by name. They always had concrete advise for solving situational issues raise by those in the class. I like the approach with positive reinforcement. I had attended the opposite kind of training with choke collar and severe correction with our previous family pet, and this philosophy fits in and achieves the results in a humane way. Laura and Sara allowed time for questions – even with that initial wait for people to formulate their query. Class built on stepping blocks so that the dog (and handler) felt success in introduction of each activity.” – Maureen M. and her Labrador Retriever Sirius reviewing their Beginning Reactive Dog Rehab class with Laura and Sara

“Good content, comfortably paced, an encouraging atmosphere. Very good class.” – Claire S. and her Golden Retriever William reviewing their Boredom Busters class with Sara

Ryder

“Sara is a smart cookie! Fantastic at reading body language and helping you adjust to work smarter, not harder, with your dog. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and personal stories. It was especially fun to share dog stories on the last night. It is so important to make sure everyone knows that dogs are dogs, no matter who owns them.” -Carrie D. and her Australian Shepherd Ryder, reviewing their Beginning Focus & Control class with trainer Sara

“I love Sara’s style of teaching. I had heard so many great things about her and she lived up to all of them! Even though it was a group class, I felt like all the dogs got some one on one coaching that was particular to just them, which is pretty impressive! love the handouts, it’s so nice to have something to refer back to. Sara was always very prepared, we never had any wasted time and were always working on something. I liked the way the exercises slowly built each week.” – Nicole E. and her Labrador Retriever Lambeau, reviewing their Beginning Obedience class with Sara

“Class size is perfect! So many classes have too many dogs. Training methods are exactly what I was looking for and respect for the dignity of the dog is reflected in class and in training. The things the dogs learned are practical and safety-oriented but fun at the same time. Knowledgeable, caring, fun instructors. What I loved the MOST was that the personality and needs of each individual dog was respected. No dog was ever forced to do anything. The trainer recognized that all dogs are different – some are fearful, some are anxious, some are friendly, some are timid, some are social butterflies. Each dog is trained using methods/rewards that resonate with that particular dog. The dogs seemed to enjoy the training. No fear!!! I loved it.

“The trainer was always prepared, willing to answer questions, offer tips, suggest ways to work around problem areas and was never condescending to any of the handlers. Paws Abilities is my favorite trainer to date – and I have lived all over the country and had lots of dogs so I’ve seen quite a few different trainers and training styles. I looked forward to every class, every week and my dog loved it too.” -Sheryl G. and her Chihuahua Maybelle reviewing their Beginning Obedience class with Sara

“Sara reassured me that we are on the right track. Demonstrated clear concern for our situation. Helped me feel good about the future with our reactive dog. Your support is greatly appreciated.” -Wendy M. and her American Staffordshire Terrier Sebastian reviewing their private behavior consultation with trainer Sara

“Sara was fantastic and I wish we would have contacted her sooner. She gave us all sorts of tools to help with our dog. His aggression has gone down considerably and is now manageable. I would highly recommend her to someone else.” -Paul F. and his American Staffordshire Terrier Andy, reviewing their Private Training Lessons with Sara

Jazzy

“Loved the costumes and the practice time for holiday meals. Jazzy is getting better at sitting when company comes and not full on frontal attack (in a friendly way). As always, great class, learned lots.” – Tammi J. and her Labradoodle Jazzy, reviewing their Holiday Manners class with trainer Sara

“Love the positive teachers and enforcement for the dogs. Also the excitedness of Jazzy when she sees her school bag come out. The handouts help reinforce and prepared individual ideas for each dog that would work for them.” -Tammi J. and her Labradoodle Jazzy, reviewing their Rocket Recall class with trainer Sara

“Sara and Michelle were very helpful with any questions I had about training or any additional questions I had about training. Very helpful in showing us how to do each training exercise and also gave us enough time to work on the exercise so if we need help they were able to help us.” -Sarah J. with her Cavapoo Maizie reviewing their Beginning Obedience class with Sara and Michelle

“We left with some really great ideas and foundations to grow from. Both Sara and Gayle are very knowledgeable and helpful. I appreciate the time they took to answer our questions (I often felt like we were the ones taking up all the time with our questions!). We’ve still got so much to work through but we have learned a lot about ourselves and our pup by working with him in class.

“Your knowledge is so valuable! Thank you for sharing it with us. I often doubt that we’re doing things right or that the dog is ‘getting it’ but you were always able to point out the little things that showed us that he understood. Learning about his body language is going to be so important for us and you both did a great job of helping us to see what his body was communicating.The small class size was fantastic too.” – Erin M. and her Pit Bull cross Cooper, reviewing their Beginning Obedience class with Sara and Gayle

“The class was a lot of fun. Very positive. Really looked forward to each class. Very welcoming and positive environment and trainers. Positive, happy experiences for dogs and pet parents. Good size class. Very relaxed and low stress. The scavenger hunt was super fun and a great learning experience. The games were great (musical mats, tic-tac-toe, and musical chairs). Really loved the graduation present at the end of the last class!” – Joella G. and her Labrador Retriever Lily and mixed breed Emma, reviewing their Canine Good Citizen Prep course with Sara and Megan

“What a blast! I loved the pace of Reactive Rally. Sara and Carrie filled the class time well and kept the dogs movin’ and shakin’. Starting each class with a Rally course helped us track our progress and gave us a practical setting to practice what we learned each week. I thought it was really cool that for graduation we ran a real WCRL course from a competition. And as the owner of a reactive dog I love finding classes and activities that allow Rosie to feel safe and comfortable. I definitely think thais ws one of her all time favorite classes. We hope to take it again in the future.” -Lindsay K. and her Australian Shepherd Rosie, reviewing their Reactive Dog Rally Obedience class with Carrie D. & Sara

“Sara is so dang smart and runs lovely seminars. She keeps us on track! Super informative.” – Carrie D. reviewing the Cracking the Canine Code seminar by Sara